At the start of every year there is a lot of advice out there for how you can have the body of your dreams. Most of it suggests that you need to give up everything, toil away doing something that you hate for years, give up all the food you like, wake up at the crack of dawn and train for your next marathon. For some people this is the perfect advice: get out there, grab your favorite gear, train hard and win big. For some of us though, we might need a little bit of help before we get to the “conquer the world” phase. For everyone in this later camp, this article is for you.

This may not sound like a very serious question, but what if you could find a way to put yourself on the path to having the body of your dreams without killing yourself? Sounds almost too good to be true doesn’t it? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can and it doesn’t involve much more than first understanding who you are, what you want and getting yourself to do what you enjoy already. Let’s me explain what I mean:

When I go out and chat with people who are going to embark on a new fitness adventure the first thing I hear in their voice is the fear of failure: “I’ve tried so many times before and I just can’t do it” or “gyms aren’t for me and they feel so intimidating” or even “I love food and I always will. How am I going to give up all of the food I like for food that tastes bland and boring so I can lose weight?” These are all really good points and they make a lot of sense, but we’re going to try a different approach this time. What if instead you asked yourself:

What do I actually enjoy doing that is a physical activity that will get me out of the house or work?

If you just can’t get yourself to enjoy running no matter how much you try, maybe running isn’t for you. That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, you might just enjoying some other physical activity more, like swimming, or tennis.

How do I deal with my relationship with food?

Try a lot of different approaches and whatever approach moves you towards your goal take that one and forget the others. If they all fail, find a way to make whatever path was the easiest for you even easier with a few tricks(cheats). More on that later.

What does success mean for me?

This is a deeply personal question that nobody can answer but you. Find a quiet place, forget what everyone else tells you, and ask yourself what will make you happy.

Why am I doing this?

The last question is probably the most important. Do you want to look like a superhero…a model in training? Do you want to feel better about yourself? Do you just want to live a lifestyle that harms your body less or might help you live longer?

Figure out what is motivating you to change yourself and if you like this reason. If the answer doesn’t sit right with you, maybe think more about why you want to do it. If the answer makes you feel great then put on your best high heels, fasten your cape, love yourself and just do it.